Friends in Christ ,
The picture above " Christ the Light of the World". I know this picture so well, I have seen it hanging for many years in the bedroom of my late mother-in-law and did during her lifetime discuss with her what it meant to her. My mother in law lost her husband in a tragic accident in New Zealand when he was only forty years old and over the years she took the loss rather badly. To her the picture meant " comfort and strenght" in times of the darkness of tears and sadness. My daughter , her grandchild , loved the picture as well and when she was little, she could look at it for quite some time.
The theme "Christ , the Light of the world" is found in Saint John 8,12-20, which I was reading this evening from Saint John's Missal for every day. Jesus declares that He is the Light of the world.He spoke about this to the pharisees and said:" He that follows me can never walk in darkness, he will possess the Light, which is life. The pharisees, as usual scoffed at these words of Jesus, as they did so many times.
I know what it means to me and it has made me a different person. What does it mean to you? The world is full of darkness because of sin, because of pain and suffering and offcourse the terrible tragedies the media report to us on a daily basis.
You might sometimes despair:" Is there ever a way out , life has become such a terrible burden. You have the power to make a change in your life today, this every evening. If you are prepared to give your life to Christ, then you will be walking from darkness into light.
Tomorrow , Passion Sunday it is time for the Contemplation of Jesus the Man of Sorrows and we accompany Jesus in his journey of His Passion and Death on the Cross. But be comforted Easter is not far away and then the meaning of the Light , the Life will become much clearer to all of us again or for the first time.
Father Ed Bakker
Anglican Catholic Church/Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Bendigo , Australia
